Joe Cruz, seventh-grade student at Pawnee Junior High, earned second place honors in the seventh-grade physical science division of the annual Coastal Bend Regional Science Fair held at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last Saturday. The fair had more than 750 entries from 32 school districts.

Joe’s entry, titled “Power Point,” inspired by his avid interest in bow hunting, was an investigation of the penetration ability of mechanical and fixed-blade broadheads. Broadheads are the arrow points used in bow hunting.

Cruz conducted his experiment in a barn near his home by shooting the different broadheads into high-density foam. Joe’s conclusion was that mechanical broadheads had more penetration ability than fixed blades. He would like to extend his experiment by using a target that has density more similar to the flesh of the animals he likes to hunt.

Another entrant was Savannah Dobson, also a seventh-grade student at Pawnee Junior High, who entered “What’s Hiding on Your Fingers?” in the life science division.

Savannah investigated the difference in the presence of bacteria of unwashed hands, water-rinsed hands, and hands washed with soap and water. She cultured the bacteria in agar and compared the results. She found that rinsing hands reduces bacteria to a small degree, but hands washed with soap and water have much less bacteria. She was inspired to conduct this experiment for two reasons. She noticed that many of her peers merely rinse their hands instead of using soap, and the recent H1N1 flu outbreak also caused her to wonder how much difference using soap makes in getting hands clean.

Kathy Naylor is Joe and Savannah’s science teacher at Pawnee ISD, a TEA Recognized District. These students originally entered these experiments in the annual Pawnee ISD Science Fair last October, and Savannah and Joe tied for first place overall. There were more than 40 entries in the school’s science fair.

Pawnee ISD places great importance on the science program. The school, located in the rural area of northern Bee County, has a beautiful new facility which includes a large, modern science lab.

Elaine Richardson, superintendent at Pawnee ISD, has been instrumental in improving the science program at Pawnee ISD. She responded to the good news by stating, “Mrs. Naylor is constantly seeking innovative ways to challenge her students and keep them actively engaged. Joe’s second place award is a testament to her hard work.”

A complete list of awards earned at the Coastal Bend Regional Science Fair can be found at http://cbsf.tamucc.edu/specialawards.html